The Roof Arthur Ashe Stadium Couldn’t Carry
To shelter the US Open from rain, engineers built a vast, independent structure around Arthur Ashe Stadium, with foundations reaching deep beneath Queens.
Architecture
New York architecture explained through the engineering, design, history, and hidden systems of the city's most significant buildings.
What Holds Eleven Times Square’s Leaning Glass Steady
An awkward Manhattan lot produced an outward-sloping tower, open corner offices, and a structural system anchored deep into bedrock.
262 Fifth Avenue: Private Views, Public Anger
A slender Manhattan tower uses an unusual structural layout to open up 26 luxury homes, while closing off a familiar view of the Empire State Building.
The House That Breaks the Line on West 11th Street
A Greenwich Village townhouse’s angled facade marks the site of a deadly 1970 explosion and a lasting argument about how cities rebuild after tragedy.
Where Central Park’s Horses Go Home
Behind the carriage rides is a less familiar New York: upstairs stables, working commutes and a historic industry facing an uncertain future.
Why 111 Murray Street Gets Wider as It Rises
The Tribeca tower expands above its 40th floor, making room for larger homes and sweeping views. Behind the glass, its structure tells a more intricate story.
The Hidden Flaws Inside New York's East River Bridges
The Brooklyn, Williamsburg, and Manhattan Bridges still carry the city. Each one also carries a construction shortcut, a failed protection scheme, or a design error that later cost hundreds of millions to contain.
The Rockefeller Laboratory Suspended Above the FDR Drive
Rockefeller University's research building uses arches, trusses, and roadside supports to place laboratories above one of Manhattan's busiest highways.
How Zoning Bent the Solow Building
At 9 West 57th Street, a sharply sloped facade turns New York’s setback rules into rentable office space.
The Concrete Crystal That Keeps Lower Manhattan Moving
New York’s Spring Street Salt Shed turns a 5,000-ton winter reserve into a striking piece of civic infrastructure on the Hudson River waterfront.
The Concrete Arch That Paved Manhattan
At Asphalt Green on the Upper East Side, a 1944 municipal asphalt plant shows how a practical freight problem produced one of New York’s most distinctive industrial landmarks.
Zaha Hadid’s Last New York Statement Rises Beside the High Line
At 520 West 28th Street, a hand-finished steel facade turns the High Line’s industrial vocabulary into a flowing residential landmark.